Sylar's Possession
by Druid Sorceress
Summary: While stalking for more victims, Sylar comes face to face with a girl turns his life upside down and brings him closer to his human side. Rated M for Sexual Content. This isn't for the easily offended or extremely squeamish.
1. First Encounter

_DISCLAIMER:__ I own nothing. Heroes is the property of Universal Studios and the series creator._

_Author's Note:__ This takes place somewhere in the midst of season three but more in an alternate universe. I re-vamped it because some of the original parts sucked. Enjoy!_

... He walked the dampened streets of Edmonton, absently patting a list of names in one of the pockets in his black jacket. New abilities and powers called him to be coveted, which is the reason why he was in this damp city in the first place.

It was an easy enough matter to steal the list from Noah Bennett's box of files before disappearing unnoticed(it was so convenient to have the power of teleportation...pity that the nauseatingly fat girl had to die as a result, but she paid the price for glamouring him). In fact, it was such a simple feat that Bennett probably wouldn't notice the missing records. Sylar clutched the list, recalling his next victim's name, address and location as he stalked through a quiet neighbourhood. As he turned the corner, his ears pricked up at some very faint music wafting down from a split level house nearby. He stopped, hearing the sound of feminine breathing and the rustling of sheets and a sound that could only be soft moans. As he debated on whether he was going to move on or not, he felt a big pulse of power come from the house.

It was rare for Sylar to be taken aback by anything, no matter what degree. But when he felt the enormity of the energy coming from the house, he knew he had to investigate and possibly covet what he felt.

He looked up, noticing the balcony. Flashing his trademark smirk, he teleported onto the balcony and peered into the large sliding door windows.

What he saw next made a raging blush creep up his sculpted cheeks. There was a young woman, naked as the day she was born, lying on top of her bed (which was next to said window), pleasuring herself to mysterious music that seemed almost familiar.

He watched her, fascinated as the rhythmic movements of her hands and fingers slowly hypnotized him. His thoughts scrambled frantically in his head as his eyes followed her fingers as they trailed across perfectly shaped breasts.

Swallowing hard, Sylar watched the woman as her movements became in sync with his thoughts. So in sync that he didn't realize he was controlling her movements...he was too aroused at the display.

'Yes' he thought, nearly salivating as she switched positions on the bed, positioned in such a way that he could see her most intimate parts through the window 'Run your fingers all over your core...show me how much pleasure you could give'

As she began following his silent command, he heard a noise from below to see a man at the front door, letting himself into the house. A plan quickly formed in his mind, allowing him to enter without the useless panic he was used to seeing among women. He saw the overweight man standing on the porch, hesitating to go through the open door.

'Pitiful human' Sylar thought scornfully, deciding to take the man's place instantly. 'I will squash you like a bug'

Using his telekinesis to control the man, he slammed him into the side of the house, killing him instantly with a simple flick of his wrist. Focusing wholly on his initial conquest, he used one of his acquired powers to walk through the window, entering the room unnoticed.

Barely aware of the uncomfortable hardness between his legs, Sylar swallowed hard and resumed his focus on the woman, watching every caress, enjoying every moan that escaped her lips. Fingers curling with the urge to covet, he reached out and caressed one of her legs, feeling the energy coursing through her.

He stood there, suddenly aware of his control over her. It was a pity that he would have to kill her eventually to steal her power. She was a gorgeous specimen of the fairer sex. Licking his lips, he pondered the possibilities going through his mind. His face quickly moulded into his trademark smirk as he thought of the pleasurable distraction he could have before the inevitable happened.

"Beautiful creature" he murmured, caressing her soft skin again as he willed her to look at him momentarily "Do not fear me (yet). Tell me your name"

"Amber" the sound barely registered as a whisper to the human ear, but it was the catalyst to Sylar's growing lust for her.

Without hesitation, Sylar let his jacket fall to the floor before using his mind to unbutton his shirt. Soon, the last piece of his clothing fell to the floor and he found himself kneeling between her spread legs in his full naked glory.

In a dreamlike state, Amber moved back as he moved forward to familiarize himself with her near perfect body. He reached out again to caress her thighs, letting his hand circle the rounded globe of a firm buttock before trailing his fingertips to her core. He felt his entire being pulse and throb as he leaned down to put his mouth where his fingers were having their way with her.

She arched up to his mouth, moaning as he let his mouth explore every inch of her body. Her skin tasted sweet and smelled mostly of gardenias, making him lose some of his semblance of control as he trailed his mouth up from her indented navel...up her soft torso...to rest between her ample breasts before taking one in his mouth to suckle, rewarding him with the sound of her soft moans.

With lightning fast movements, his mouth latched onto the other breast, using his tongue to stiffen her nipple into a hard turgid peak. Feeling her mysterious power course through her, he felt he would lose control if he didn't take her as soon as possible.

He moved up to trail his lips along her jawline as he positioned himself to enter her more-than-ready core. His long member was hard that it almost hurt and he couldn't wait to get release. With one swift, yet savage movement, he pushed inside her core, using his mouth to silence her screams. He thrust wildly in her, possessed by nothing more than his own primal lust. A deep groan reverberated through his chest as she convulsively tightened around his plundering member, telling him it was almost time for his release.

Soon he arched against her, a growl escaping his lips as he filled her with his essence, making her release come at the same time, filling him with a large jolt of energy that coursed through him now. Breathing hard, he pulled himself out and moved to lie next to her on the bed.

He looked at her in disbelief, feeling the power coursing through his veins now.

'Why did I suddenly just gain her power without killing her?' he thought, frowning momentarily 'What is so different about this time?'

"Amber" he whispered, pulling her closer to look at her "There is something truly unique about your power...why do I feel so energized?"

She blushed, looking away. He took her chin in his hands, cradling it as he gently forced her to look at him. He then probed her mind, willing her to talk

"I seem to have this gift that only occurs when I have an orgasm" she replied, some of the blush fading away "I energize other people with special abilities so that their energy levels are restored"

"As I've said before, your gift is truly unique and special" he murmured, stroking her soft silken hair. Deep down, he had a feeling that she had something else to hide from him.

"What is your name?" she asked quietly, shuddering in pleasure at the memory of what they had just done.

"Call me Sylar" he replied, sitting up as he remembered the body of the other man on the porch. "I take it you were expecting me to come"

"Something like that" she said sheepishly, smiling shyly "Although you're more handsome than you said in your profile."

"Yes" Sylar drawled, playing along as he thought of the man she was originally supposed to meet "I find that it's sexier to be mysterious than to give myself away"

"I take it that you have a special ability of your own" she said, leaning against his chest "That's why you're so understanding about mine"

He flashed his trademark smirk at her innocence. He knew she would be easy to manipulate and decided against killing her for the time being. She seemed to have her uses.

"I'm telekinetic" he replied, the smirk still on his face. "I can move things with my mind"

"Wow" was all she could say as she looked at him, seemingly stunned by his irresistible smile.

'Well I'm much more than that' he thought to himself, leaning in to kiss her 'But in the meantime, I am going to keep you as my toy'...


	2. Amber

_DISCLAIMER:__ I own nothing!_

... Amber Magna stood in her bedroom the next afternoon, getting ready for her job at a retail video store. She was a modest girl who enjoyed her modest life, save for the fact that she always felt that she was destined to do more.

Alas, those cards were dealt to her with the untimely death of her parents in a freak car accident. She had been a mere 23 when they died, and at the age of 25, she still missed them terribly. She suffered from prolonged and intense loneliness as a result, trying in vain to fill the void with having sexual encounters with strangers. She had very few friends, as they were all married with children, leaving her to be the odd one out.

Buttoning up the last part of her black dress shirt, she admired her reflection in the mirror, glimpsing the bed, where last night's pleasurable events occurred. She felt a blush creep up her cheeks as she recalled the devilishly handsome stranger who basically rocked her whole world in the hours they spent together.

As she began putting some eye shadow on, she noticed a mark on her neck and blushed furiously...a hickey. She gingerly touched it and the memories hit her subconscious like a pleasurable drug. She moaned, feeling the pressure of his teeth as he claimed her with his mouth.

She closed her eyes momentarily and tried in vain to concentrate on her task, but it was no use...it was as if he swam in her veins at that moment.

Touching the hickey again, she let out a low moan, failing to notice the visitor in her room, lying leisurely on her bed.

Sensing she wasn't alone, her eyes flew open and she slowly turned around. Much to her chagrin, the man himself was on her bed, giving her a look that rendered her defenceless. She already loved how his hypnotizing dark eyes sparkled when he flashed his oh-so-mischievous smirk.

"Pleasant memories?" he inquired, enjoying how he caught her off-guard. She blushed, avoiding his eyes.

"Something like that" she said, turning back to the mirror to finish applying her eyeshadow. "I didn't hear you come in"

"What's with the uniform?" he asked, gesturing to her work clothes "Are you off somewhere?"

"As a matter of fact, yes I am" she replied, applying mascara "I am headed to work"

He groaned sympathetically, flashing another devastating smile as she turned to look at him before resuming her tasks.

"Where do you work?"

"At a video store in St. Albert" she replied, applying lip gloss and then perfume "Not a glamorous job, but it pays the bills and I kinda like telling people about my favourite movies. I'm a shift supervisor there."

"What time are you off?" he asked, quickly standing up to approach her from behind.

"I'm working until midnight" she said, putting her car keys in her purse "You can come visit if you'd like"

"I'd definitely like that" he said, planting a kiss on the nape of her neck as he left a slip of paper on her desk "In the meantime, here's my phone number. I must go, beautiful."

With that, he swiftly left the room before she could even say goodbye. Amber picked up the paper he left on her desk. After examining it, she stuffed it in her purse, along with her cellular phone...

... Sylar stood on her balcony, watching her pull out of her driveway with a smirk on his face. Waiting until she was out of sight, he teleported back into her room to find anything he could about her.

He used his telekinesis to go through her desk and any files surrounding it before going through her dresser drawers. Curious about her taste in clothes, he went through each and every single piece of clothing, picturing how it hugged her lithe body.

When he moved onto the drawer with her undergarments, he suppressed a lusty groan when he noticed her extensive collection of thongs and g-strings with their matching push-up bras. Each piece of lingerie was even more revealing than the last, and it drove him into a frenzy picturing her in it. Surrendering to an urge he couldn't control, he took a black lacy thong and stuffed it in his pocket to admire later. Closing the final drawer, he walked into the hallway and into the study across from her bedroom.

Spying the filing cabinets underneath the glass desk, he used his powers to open them and found what he had been searching for.

'Amber Magna' he thought as he leafed through the files 'Born November 12, 1984 in Edmonton, Alberta at the Royal Alexandra hospital. She is the youngest of three children, the older two siblings living in different parts of the United States.'

He looked at all of her academic records, noticing with amusement the amount of academic awards she had received in school, from elementary to her final years at the University of Alberta.

Realizing that he would probably never find anything about her powers in these files, he quickly replaced everything, using his power to close and reinforce the filing cabinets. Satisfied with his work, he teleported out of the house...

... Amber stood behind the counter at work, sighing. It was a slow night because of the nice weather and the few customers that came in gave her and the associate she worked with a hard time. She glanced at her digital watch, noticing that it was only 10:20 pm.

"Jarett" she murmured, turning to the young boy working with her that night "You can go home at eleven. I doubt it'll get busier"

"Are you sure Amber?" Jarett asked excitedly "I won't get into trouble?"

"Not at all" she said, sighing "I may close early tonight anyways. I have some paperwork to do"

"Okay" he replied happily "Thank you Amber...you're the best"

Amber smiled faintly, walking onto the sales floor with a clipboard to do an inventory cycle count. She heard someone come into the store before hearing the associate greet the visitor, shrugging it off as she counted the DVDs and Blu Ray discs for sale.

"Working hard or hardly working?" A familiar voice mused, causing her to drop her clipboard in surprise...

_Author's Note:__ In case you were wondering, Amber is loosely based on me. Hmmm I wonder who came into the store? *giggles mischievously*_


	3. Powers Manifest

_DISCLAIMER:_ _I own nothing._

... Sighing, Amber bent down to pick up her clipboard. Regaining her composure, she turned around to face Jason, her ex of 6 months.

"What are you doing here?" she hissed, glaring at the semi-gorgeous blonde man in front of her "I told you it's over. I don't want to see you around here anymore"

"Why do you have to bust my balls like that?" he demanded, his cerulean eyes flashing angrily with a slight glimmer of hurt "It's a free country. I can come and go as I please"

"If I didn't know any better, I think you've been stalking me" she hissed "Don't think I didn't see you drive by my house last night. Or following me at the mall yesterday afternoon"

"You're my girl" he said menacingly, grabbing her arm "It's my business to know what you are doing and who you're seeing"

"You are a psycho" she hissed, wrenching her arm from his grasp "Like I said earlier, it's over...I don't want you to come near me ever again"

"We'll see about that" Jason growled, gritting his teeth as he lunged at her...

... Sylar walked into the store, eagerly anticipating his rendezvous with Amber. As he smoothed his midnight hair back, he chuckled to himself, thinking that Amber was becoming quite the obsession with him.

While she was slaving away at work, he managed to find two people on his list and stole their powers...a pretty little stay-at-home mom in Memphis who could communicate with machines and a hapless lad in Austin who could turn his skin into an impenetrable shield of titanium. If only Nathan Petrelli and his team of grunts could see how stronger he was now.

As he entered the store, his chuckles and smirk came to an abrupt stop when he spotted her. A younger man who looked like he had more biceps than brains seemed to be harassing her. Sylar hissed, his eyes narrowing.

"Nobody can go near her" he hissed to himself, approaching them stealthily like a tiger on the prowl "She is my toy"

As he passed a couple of aisles, he heard the argument escalate. The Neanderthal had the nerve to grab her arm and terrorize her...the display made him sick to his stomach, something he rarely felt towards people.

"Well well" he drawled, standing behind Amber "What have we here?"

"Sylar" Amber exclaimed, grateful for the intrusion.

"Who is this wimp?" the blond hulk demanded, tightening his grip on her arm, causing her to drop her clipboard. Sylar's eyes widened in anger as his fingers itched to throw the jerk across the room. Being territorial was his nature, especially when desired powers were in the mix.

"I'm her boyfriend" Sylar hissed, hoping Amber wasn't dumb enough to contradict him "You have no business touching or even hurting her now. She is mine"

With that, he fixed the boy with a dark glare, causing him to relinquish his grip on her arm.

"N..no trouble, man" the boy stammered, backing away "I was..just leaving...Amber, this isn't over"

He fixed her with an icy stare before hastily leaving the store...

Amber stood there, rubbing her arm while sighing with relief. She thanked her lucky stars that Sylar had come in at the right time. He turned to her, concern in his fathomless eyes.

"Are you alright?" he asked, his hand on her shoulder "I hope he didn't hurt you"

"I'm fine" she said, bending down to pick up the clipboard "I'm grateful for your intrusion"

"It's no problem" he replied, cupping her chin with his hand "I'm glad I came here at the right time"

With that, he flashed her a devastating smile, causing her to blush and look away.

"So what brings you here?" she mumbled, resuming her cycle count "I thought you were just pulling my leg when you said you'd like to visit"

"Amber" he cajoled her, pretending to be hurt "What would make you think I'd be so insincere?"

She turned and stuck her tongue out at him before glancing at her watch. It was time for Jarett to go home.

"My other associate is leaving for the night" she murmured before walking to the cash register desk. "If you want to hang around, you need to behave yourself"

"Who, me?" he asked, teasing her "I'll be your bodyguard tonight"

Rolling her eyes, she went to relieve the young boy behind the counter...

... Sylar watched Amber work with a sense of amusement. The store was suffering from a lack of customers at that hour, so he decided to amuse himself while he waited for Amber to finish her shift. While she was engrossed in a sales report, he used his powers to make the pens on the counter float in the air.

"I saw that", she mumbled, looking up sharply at him before laughing at the sheepish look on his face.

"I couldn't help myself" he said, hanging his head like a little boy "As much as I enjoy looking at you, I need to keep myself occupied"

"Okay then" she relented "If you're going to use your powers, how about you put away the returned movies?"

"Done" he replied, flashing his trademark smirk whilst waving his fingers. In an instant, all of the returned movies were put away in their proper places.

"Gee" she joked, putting the finished paperwork away "Maybe you should work here"

"Maybe" he said cryptically, as she closed the cash registers so that she could count them "Shall I lock the door?"

"Please" she said, taking the cash trays into the office "I'll be just a few minutes"

Using his powers, Sylar locked the doors and shut off the televisions in the store as well as the open sign. After that, he perched himself on the counter, waiting patiently for Amber to finish her counts.

Not even 5 minutes later, she emerged from the office with her belongings.

"Stay still" she instructed him "I have to set the alarm"

He dutifully remained still as she punched in the alarm code. As it was armed, he hopped off the counter and encircled his arms around her.

"Wanna see something cool?" he murmured, smiling mischievously.

Before Amber could protest, she found herself outside with him, the doors securely locked as the alarm armed the store.

"How did you do that?" she asked, in disbelief as he let go of her.

"I have many talents" he said, smirking at her. She sighed, rolling her eyes...

... 'Just when I think I have him figured out, he surprises me' Amber thought, holding back her laughter 'Gee, maybe he is meant to be my boyfriend'

Sylar moved closer to her, running his fingers through her hair. She closed her eyes as his lips met hers in a soft kiss. Before she could wrap her arms around him, she heard a grunt. Her eyes flew open as she saw Sylar fall to the ground, unconscious.

"Sylar" she gasped, bending down to check on him. Before she could get closer, she was grabbed from behind.

"Hello babes" Jason's menacing voice greeted her from behind. He turned her around roughly so she could face him.

"Jason, no" she said before he gave her a backhanded slap to the face. He grabbed her by the hair, pulling hard.

"Do you think you can make a fool out of me?" he snarled, his spittle landing on her face "You're mine, not the property of this pathetic excuse for a man"

"I hate you" she yelled, tears of fear streaming down her cheeks "You're a monster, Jason."

"SHUT UP" he snarled, hitting her again. Amber cried out, holding her bruised cheek.

"Sylar" she sobbed, looking at the spot where he fell. Much to her chagrin, he wasn't there.

Suddenly, she felt Jason rip away from her with tremendous force and she fell to the ground in shock.

Sylar stood there, using his powers to pin Jason to the wall, preparing to cut Jason's head off in his usual manner.

"Sylar" Amber called out, slowly standing up. She caught his attention briefly, lowering his guard for the moment.

Soon, the echo of a gunshot filled the air. Sylar slumped to the ground, bleeding as Amber screamed.

Jason stood behind him, pointing the gun at his head.

"Jason...NO" Amber screamed, causing Jason to aim the gun at her.

"Sorry, babes" he said, smiling cruelly "If I can't have you, nobody else should"

Amber stood there, not knowing what to do. Her anger rose, consuming her with hatred. She felt her power manifest in a different way that she hadn't felt before...

... Sylar slowly edged up, watching the bullet fall out of the wound in his shoulder. He glared at Jason, livid at the fact that the boy had the audacity to shoot him. A low growl escaped his throat as he summoned the electical charge he acquired from Elle, creating a massive ball of energy. Before he could hurl it at the distracted boy, a flash of orange caught his eye and the ground began to shake.

Stunned, he lost his concentration, looking in the direction of the abnormal glow to see it was coming from Amber. Her eyes glowed a fiery orange as she summoned a massive ball of energy resembling a solar flare. Soon, she yelled out a war cry as she hurled the solar flare at Jason, who had no time to react before being consumed by her attack. He cried out helplessly, dropping the gun to shield his eyes.

Amber fell to the ground, barely conscious as Jason was burned to a crisp. Amazed by her prowess, Sylar rushed up to her fallen form, cradling her body.

"Wh...what happened?" she asked weakly, a small rivulet of blood trickling out of her nose.

"Your power came out in its full entirety" Sylar replied, still amazed by her. She nodded weakly, falling into unconsciousness. He picked her up, using his ability to unlock and open her car. He gently put her in the passenger seat, as well as her belongings before getting into the driver's side. Holding the steering wheel, he used his teleportation ability to make the car appear on Amber's driveway.

He sat there momentarily, looking at her. Sure, he was able to live as a murderous monster...but, he was not used to people saving his life, especially if it wasn't in danger. A long dormant emotion stirred within him as he sat there.

'Well, well' he thought, a small smile creeping across his face 'What have we here, Sylar? Could it be that she is more useful than anticipated?'

A small part of him reacted to his manipulative thought...almost like his conscience.

'She's special' his conscience-like inner voice said 'Her benefit might not be the one you're expecting. Do not string her along'

Before the rest of his thoughts conflicted with the last one, he got out of the car and immediately went to the passenger side to pick up Amber's unconscious body. Carrying her and using his telekinesis to close and lock the car, he focused on the inside of her bedroom and teleported them inside...


	4. Revelations

_DISCLAIMER:__ I own nothing!_

... Arriving in her bedroom, he laid her gently down on the bed and removed her running shoes. He removed his own shoes before heading into the bathroom to get a damp cloth to get rid of the dried blood on her face.

Returning to her side, moments later, he gently wiped the congealed blood from her face, gazing at her again. Watching her eyes flutter inside their eyelids, he suddenly felt protective of her, not because of his need to covet powers, but because he was starting to feel a small connection pulling him closer to her.

His eyes fell on her swollen cheek and he rubbed his fingertips across it. He watched her face contort in pain and immediately traced his fingers along her jawline. There were unanswered questions forming in his mind in regards to her relationship with the Neanderthal boy and he was curious about that situation.

Remembering his ability to know the history of things that he touched, he touched her work shirt and focused, letting images and sounds swirl in his mind until he found what he was looking for.

_Sighing, Amber bent down to pick up her clipboard. Regaining her composure, she turned around to face Jason, her ex of 6 months._

_"What are you doing here?" she hissed, glaring at the semi-gorgeous blonde man in front of her "I told you it's over. I don't want to see you around here anymore"_

_"Why do you have to bust my balls like that?" he demanded, his cerulean eyes flashing angrily with a slight glimmer of hurt "It's a free country. I can come and go as I please"_

_"If I didn't know any better, I think you've been stalking me" she hissed "Don't think I didn't see you drive by my house last night. Or following me at the mall yesterday afternoon"_

_"You're my girl" he said menacingly, grabbing her arm "It's my business to know what you are doing and who you're seeing"_

_"You are a psycho" she hissed, wrenching her arm from his grasp "Like I said earlier, it's over...I don't want you to come near me ever again"_

_"We'll see about that" Jason growled, gritting his teeth as he lunged at her..._

Sylar focused harder, trying to get more.

_Amber stood at her bedroom window the night before, noticing the familiar car parked in front of her house. Only Jason drove a white'92 Dodge Stealth with the blue headlight covers. Seeing him made her blood run cold. She hoped he would eventually leave...at least before her random encounter began. If Jason saw the man at her door, things would only get ugly from there on..._

Sylar hissed, digging deeper.

_Amber walked through St. Albert Centre before her shift, heading for Ricki's to find a cocktail dress for her friend Victoria's birthday party at the L'aronde restaurant at the top floor of the Crowne Plaza. She knew there had to be a few decent single guys there, even if they were a temporary thing._

_As she walked past the gaming store next to the Dentist's office, she had the feeling she was being watched. Slowly turning around, she could have sworn she saw Jason sitting in one of the nearby chairs, reading the latest issue of the Edmonton Journal._

_Her breath hitching in her throat, Amber quickly made her way to Ricki's, hiding behind racks of clothes. Much to her chagrin, Jason passed the windows, peering in as he walked by..._

Sylar's eyes flew open, widening in anger. The bastard had been stalking her for a while...No wonder she was so agitated... Jason treated her like a caged animal and she understandably snapped.

He then recalled something he had read in her files earlier...a news clipping he had found in her file. The news report was about a freak car crash that occurred right outside of Jasper. The deceased both had the same last name as Amber.

He then wondered where her parents were. Surely she couldn't have afforded the payments on a split level house like hers on what was most likely a pitiful salary. Then, it hit him...she was orphaned...and all alone.

A single tear slid down his cheek as he looked at Amber. With everything he had just learned about her, he realized that they had quite a lot in common, especially when it came to the hard knocks of life.

Sylar grew up not fitting in...never belonging anywhere. He always felt he was destined for something better. All he had was his adopted mother to love him and support him and for the last brief moments of her life, she had deemed him a monster and tried to kill him. After he had killed his mother, he felt the same emptiness Amber seemed to feel in his recollections.

He lay down on the bed beside her, pulling her closer to him. Even then, he could feel a single invisible threat binding her to him.

"I may be a monster to the rest of the world, Amber" he whispered in her ear "But I swear from now that I will always be there for you, no matter what"

With that, he fell into an exhausted sleep...

... Amber awoke to sunlight filtering in through her vertical blinds. She slowly sat up, noticing that Sylar had fallen asleep holding her close.

Not wanting to disturb his somewhat peaceful slumber, she gently lifted his arm off of her and slid off her bed. As she passed her full length mirror, she noticed she had fallen asleep in her work uniform. Frowning in distaste over her wrinkled clothes, she felt a dull pain on the right side of her face.

Moving in for a closer inspection, she noticed her right cheekbone was badly bruised, the swelling having gone down. She gingerly touched the wound and memories of the night before flooded her subconscious. She closed her eyes.

_"Sylar" Amber called out, slowly standing up. She caught his attention briefly, lowering his guard for the moment._

_Soon, the echo of a gunshot filled the air. Sylar slumped to the ground, bleeding as Amber screamed._

_Jason stood behind him, pointing the gun at his head._

_"Jason...NO" Amber screamed, causing Jason to aim the gun at her._

_"Sorry, babes" he said, smiling cruelly "If I can't have you, nobody else should"_

_Amber stood there, not knowing what to do. Her anger rose, consuming her with hatred. She felt her power manifest in a different way that she hadn't felt before..._

Her eyes flew open and she screamed, waking Sylar up. He practically jumped off the bed to comfort her.

"Amber" he said, his face full of concern as he held her shoulders "Amber, what's wrong?"

Amber turned to look at him, tears streaming down her face.

"I had a dream that I had a mysterious power...a mysterious power that killed Jason" she sobbed, burying her face in his chest "It seemed so real"

"Amber" he said in a gentle tone, embracing her "That's because it actually happened last night"

Amber pulled away from him in disbelief, still crying.

"Are you trying to tell me that I killed Jason last night?" she demanded, her voice rising several octaves "I killed him?"

"Amber" he said tenderly, putting his hands on her shoulders gently "It was in self defense...he was about to shoot you after shooting me. All you did was defend yourself...you saved my life"

"I'm a monster" she sobbed, burying her head into his chest again "A complete monster"

"No...you're not, Amber" he said, trailing off "I should know"

Amber pulled away to see the look of pain in his eyes...


	5. Gabri

_DISCLAIMER:__ I own nothing!_

"What do you mean?" Amber asked, sad to see his eyes full of such pain "What happened to you?"

"It was about a year and a half ago" he said, turning away from her "My adopted mother tried to kill me when she saw my power. She called me a monster. She was all I had after my biological father murdered my real mother and sold me to my uncle. She was the only one in the world who loved me. It hurt me to hear her throwing that word around at me."

"I'm so sorry, Sylar" she said, moving closer to reach out to touch him. "I didn't know"

He turned around, the pain in his eyes replaced by fathomless darkness. He allowed her to touch him, seemingly feeling comfortable with her hands cradling his face.

"Please, Amber" he said simply, sighing "My real name is Gabriel...Gabriel Gray...I adopted the nickname Sylar from the watch I always wear."

"Gabriel is a nice name" Amber said, blushing "It suits you"

He glowered momentarily at her.

"I didn't mean to insult you, Gabriel" she apologized, forcing him to look into her eyes "It's just that I've always liked that name...even if it's shortened to Gabri"

His ears perked up to her mention of 'Gabri'.

"I rather like that" he murmured, looking at her with a tender expression. "It doesn't make me feel like such a monster"

"Oh I'm so glad" Amber said, smiling for the first time that day "I'll call you Gabri from now on"

Sylar flashed a devastating smile before leaning down to kiss her...

... Noah Bennett cursed, looking at the photos of the recent murder scenes in Memphis and Austin. The style of execution bore Sylar's unique signature, making matters worse.

"Why can't I get the edge on that elusive bastard?" He hissed, throwing a paperweight against the wall of his study in his Costa Verde residence. For nearly two years, Sylar was the proverbial thorn in Noah's side, practically taunting him with all of the murders popping up all over the place.

"Dad?" a familiar voice called from behind him. Noah turned around to see his daughter Claire standing in the doorway, looking concerned.

"Hi, Claire Bear" he sighed, sinking into his chair "How was your day?"

Claire groaned, recalling working at the comic book store. She tossed her long blonde hair behind her shoulder in frustration, sitting on the edge of the desk.

"I don't know why I decided to take this job" she whined, her green eyes full of annoyance "Every single nerd that comes into the store has hit on me at least ten times since I began working there. Maybe this was a bad idea"

"Now, now" Noah chided her, giving her a look "It's just a bunch of boys who would rather spend their free time ogling Wonder Woman's outfit than getting to know real girls like you. I feel better knowing they're the ones after you instead of bastards like Sylar"

"Too true" Claire sighed, smiling at her adopted father "How's the pursuit going?"

"Don't remind me" Noah groaned, rolling his blue eyes while causing Claire to laugh at him. He realized how he just whined like her and laughed along with her before becoming serious.

"More murders, eh?" Claire said, understanding why Noah was so stressed "I don't even know what powers he has now. I prefer not to think of that monster, but I wish there was something I could do to help"

"You're helping a lot by not getting involved" Noah replied seriously, closing the file filled with the pictures from Memphis and Austin "I would rather see you grow up than be in grave danger all the time, Claire Bear"

With that, he reached out and hugged her, making the 18 year old feel more secure...but, as he embraced her, there was worry and fear in his eyes...

... "What would you like for breakfast, Gabri?" Amber asked, opening her refrigerator "I can make you pancakes or even waffles for that matter"

Sylar smiled, feeling more human than he had in the past few years. It was refreshing for him. Amber had called in to work, telling her employer what had happened the night before. He graciously gave her the rest of the week off to recuperate from her ordeal.

"Waffles sounds great" he replied, staring out into her living room at the two pianos. Amber took the ingredients out of the refrigerator and set them on the table.

"What are you looking at?" she asked curiously, going into the cupboard to take out the waffle iron and a mixing bowl.

"I was wondering why you have two pianos in the living room" Sylar replied, turning to face her "Who played the piano in your house?"

Amber's raging blush gave her away. Sylar smiled mischievously, advancing on her.

"How about you play for me while I make the waffles?" he suggested, smirking at her while she swallowed hard. "I'd love to hear it"

"I'm not that good...honestly" she blathered on "I screw up every time I play in front of people"

He pretended to pout, making her laugh.

"Alright!" she exclaimed, rolling her dark eyes "I don't think I'll ever be able to say no to that face...knock yourself out.

With that, she went into the other room.

As he prepared the mix for the waffles, she began to play 'Moonlight Sonata' by Beethoven, one of his favourite songs. At first, he thought someone had put a CD on, but he concentrated harder, hearing the pedals groan as she pressed down on them.

Smiling to himself, he finished mixing the batter and poured it into the waiting waffle iron. He used his telekinesis to heat the machine perfectly while he went into the living room to watch her play. He stood next to the piano, his eyes closed in a private thought when he heard her swear and play a wrong key. His eyes flew open to see her standing behind the piano bench, glaring at him.

"Gabri" she whined, making a face "You made me screw up"

"You were playing beautifully" he replied, moving towards her "It's one of my favourite pieces by Beethoven"

"Mine as well" she said, blushing as he took her hands and danced with her in a fast waltz around the room before letting her go to check on the waffles.

Moments later, he presented her with a fresh batch of impeccable waffles before joining her at the table. He watched her as she took the first bite.

"Wow, these are great" she said, after swallowing "You're a man of many talents for sure, Gabri"

He chuckled, flashing her another irresistible smile.

"I guess I will always surprise you" he said, his dark eyes sparkling mysteriously.


	6. Obsessions and Unbridled Passion

_DISCLAIMER:__ I own nothing!_

... Noah Bennett sighed, looking at the names in the newspaper on his desk, cursing himself for not being able to track Sylar down. It had been a day and a half since the murders and no leads had come up.

Staring at a picture of Claire in her cheerleading uniform, Noah recalled the day Sylar first came to the house in Odessa, terrorizing his ex-wife Sandra. Upon finding his wife nearly unconscious, his heart leapt out of his chest at the thought of the monster kidnapping Claire, but, she was unharmed. Another close call surfaced in his mind when Sylar attacked Claire for her healing powers. Noah sighed, knowing that he couldn't afford yet another close call like that.

Lifting up his horn-rimmed glasses to pinch the bridge of his nose, Noah suddenly recalled that the two latest victims were on the list that Sylar somehow snatched in the past little while. Mentally praising himself for keeping a copy on his hard drive, Noah accessed the list and checked the next name and location.

"Aha" he rasped, smiling in satisfaction "He's prowling around in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada...he's looking for a Ms. Diana Walsh, a manipulator of metal."

With that, he booked a quick flight to Edmonton online and rushed upstairs to pack his things.

What he didn't notice was that Claire was hiding behind the office door, listening to his every word.

"Finally" she murmured to herself, coming out of her hiding spot "Sylar's in Edmonton. I'm going to stop him before Dad does. He needs to pay for terrorizing me and stealing my powers. I hate him"

She quietly went up to her room and went to pack...

... Sylar and Amber had a wonderful afternoon together, although he could tell she was somewhat distant. He didn't even need to tap into his telepathy to guess that she was thinking about what had happened the night before. As they sat in her living room, he decided to use it to his advantage to manipulate her into learning to control her powers.

"Amber" he said in a somewhat seductive voice "Do you want to talk about last night? It looks like something is bothering you"

Amber looked at him with an unmistakeable look of fear in her eyes.

"I didn't mean to kill him...I swear" she said, hoping she didn't scare him off.

"That's not the point" he asked, signalling her to be silent by putting his finger on her lips "I want to know what you were thinking when your power manifested"

"I...I...I" she stammered "I wished he was dead...ever since he was abusive towards me, I wanted him dead. That's why I left him. Then...when he started stalking me..."

"Say no more" he said, feeling some of her pain "He deserved what he got. No woman should be some jerk's punching bag"

"But why did my power manifest like this now?" she asked heatedly as he pulled her close "Why not when he started abusing me so he would stop? Why torture me now?"

"Maybe your powers manifested because your agitation was so severe" he said, stroking her hair "Maybe if you could control it, you might be able to use it whenever you need to"

"I guess I should" she said glumly, recalling Jason's charred remains "After all, there will be people tracking me down. I can't deny that I'm a murderer now"

"There, there" he crooned, his breath caressing her forehead "Once you control your power, nobody will mess with you ever again"

'_Not until I have your power'_ his evil inner voice said before his conscience said_ 'Stop it...she's not a toy for you to manipulate. Remember your empathy'_

Amber stood up, wiping her sweaty palms on her jeans with a determined look on her face.

"Let's do it" she said quietly, as he stood next to her "Let's train"

"Grab some things" he murmured, a sly smile creeping across his face "I will take you back to my place in New York"

Amber nodded, rushing upstairs. Sylar sat back down on the living room couch, alone with his thoughts.

'_All I have to do is teach her to control it and then her powers are mine' _his evil inner voice said_, 'With that solar flare, I'd be unstoppable!'_

He then felt a searing pain in his head, moving from temple to temple. He cried out, holding his temples.

'_Do not manipulate her, Gabriel'_ his conscience thundered, sending searing shockwaves through his brain_ 'Anything you do to hurt her will be done back to you times three'_

"Gabri?" he heard Amber call him from the stairwell "Gabri? Are you okay? I thought I heard you cry out"

"I...I'm fine" he managed to call back as he staggered up "Resume your packing"...

... Noah Bennett stood in the midst of the Edmonton International Airport, turning his cellular phone on. With a determined look on his face, he looked at his PDA for the location of Sylar's intended victim.

"Diana Walsh" he murmured to himself "10209, 82nd street...I better hurry"

With that, he quickly walked to the entrance doors to hail a cab, failing to notice his adopted daughter following him.

"He has the address" she said, with determination "I must follow him"

With that, she followed him out the doors and hailed the cab behind him...

... "Welcome to my humble home" Sylar joked, leading her into his apartment in Queens. "It's not much but it's served me well"

Amber walked around the spacious room, admiring the clocks on the walls and the massive amounts of books in his bookshelves.

"Great minds think alike" she joked, facing him with a small smile on her face "I was the biggest geek growing up. While other girls obsessed over the girly things, I was reading at a high school level in elementary and eventually developed a knack for gadgets and electronics"

"Before my gift manifested, I was the son of a watch maker who was predominantly destined to become a watch maker myself" Sylar admitted, eyeing his small collection of clocks "It wasn't until Dr. Chandra Suresh helped me discovered my gift that I realized how special I truly am"

"So, when do we start training?" Amber asked eagerly, setting her bag and purse down before looking out the window. Sylar smiled, following her and eventually stood behind, wrapping his arms around her waist protectively.

He felt her power thrumming through her veins and became so uncontrollably aroused that he forced her to turn around and began kissing her lips harshly...devouring her. Amber barely had enough time to react before wrapping her arms around his neck and matching his intensity.

Sylar pulled away, breathing hard before backing her against a nearby wall...pressing in against her... as he lifted her leg and began another intense assault on her mouth. Caressing her thigh as he devoured her, he let his fingertips trail to her heated core.

A loud growl reverberated in his chest as he ripped her blouse open, revealing a black lacy push up bra that made his lust for her grow even more intense. Ripping himself away from her mouth, he let his lips trail down from her neck to her breasts as he pushed her up on the wall, using his hips as an anchor as her legs wrapped around his waist.

Using his mouth, he tugged the bra down, letting her breasts fall towards his mouth. He took in one nipple, swirling his tongue to make it into an erect, sensitive peak. He quickly latched onto the other nipple, growling as she ran her fingers through his dark hair. His hands cupped the rounded globes of her buttocks as he kissed and nibbled his way down to her navel...and back to her collarbone and throat.

Hearing her cry out in lust, he growled again, pulling away from the wall and carrying her to his bedroom before kicking the door shut...


	7. Eyes On Fire

_DISCLAIMER:__ I own nothing! I also am not a fan of Twilight...but I felt this song was appropriate for this chapter._

_I seek you out, flay you alive_

_One more word and you won't survive_

_And I'm not scared of your stolen power...see right through you anyhow..._

_I won't soothe your pain...I won't ease your strain...You'll be waiting in vain..._

_I've got nothing for you to gain..._

'_**Eyes On Fire' by Blue Foundation, Twilight Original Soundtrack.**_

... Hours later, Sylar pulled away from Amber, breathing hard and fast. He had no idea what had come over him, but they had spent at least a couple of hours thrashing the lust out of one another's flesh. Lying on his back and pulling Amber close, he gave her a little kiss on the forehead, regaining his composure.

"Holy shit" he whispered, half-smiling "That was intense!"

"You can say that again" Amber murmured, stretching her bottom into his groin lazily "I think we broke a world record"

He chuckled at her quip, noticing how her dark eyes seemed to sparkle. Something about that sight made the invisible bond between them grow stronger.

'_I don't know what you're doing to me, Amber'_ he thought, enjoying the sparkle, _'I hope it never ends'_

'_And it never will'_ his conscience replied...

... Claire hid behind a massive evergreen tree as she watched her father knock on the door of the supposed victim. As soon as Diana's house came into view, Claire's feeling of dread disappeared and was replaced by confusion. It wasn't like Sylar to skip victims on a list...it also wasn't like him to avoid taking powers. She felt something was wrong with the situation but couldn't put her finger on it.

She pushed all thoughts aside as she saw the occupant of the house emerge in the doorway to talk to her father. She watched intently as the conversation became heated. It appeared that the woman had no idea on what Noah was telling her and was getting angry at his persistent questions.

"For the last time" she heard the young woman yell "I don't know what you are talking about"

The door was then slammed in his face. Claire stifled a giggle and ran to her cab before Noah turned around.

"Please take me back to the airport" she murmured to the cab driver before becoming lost in thought.

As the cab drove away, she had that nagging feeling again...something clearly wasn't right...

... Cursing and kicking a stone, Noah Bennett trudged back to his cab. After giving his driver instructions, he whipped out his cellular phone and called Angela Petrelli.

"It's me" he said, when she answered "Sylar hasn't come to Edmonton yet. Maybe he's going by a different pattern"

As he finished his sentence, he was met with silence. After a long pause, Angela finally spoke.

"Come back...we need to think of a new strategy"...

... Closing the bathroom door, Sylar sauntered over to his shower, completely naked. He turned the water on and immediately stepped inside, relishing the feel of the cool water before it gradually heated up.

As he allowed himself to be saturated by the increasingly hot water, he closed his eyes, savouring the few hours that had just passed. It had been a long time since he could meet a girl he could trust...especially one with powers.

Elle seemingly liked him in the short time they partnered together, but her feelings seemed artificial. In essence, she was a spoiled Daddy's Girl who played him like a violin. Although he did enjoy some of the time they had spent together, he did not regret for a second that he stole her powers and ended her life.

Amber was of a different calibre. Everything about her was genuine...she readily accepted him in a shockingly short time, despite the fact that she didn't know about the other murders.

His eyes flew open as he reached for his shampoo. Trying in vain to change his train of thought, he focused on his task at hand, but found that it was futile.

"What is happening to me?" he murmured after rinsing his hair and reaching for soap "These thoughts and feelings are not a part of me..."

'_Listen to your heart, Gabriel'_ his conscience said, making him think for a moment _'Only one thing can set you free from your torment...Amber is the key'_

"Amber is the key to what?" he asked himself, rinsing off the soap "What are you talking about?"

'_Only time will tell'_ the cryptic voice said, refusing to give him a straight answer.

He turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. He grabbed a towel from the nearby rack and wrapped it around his waist before heading back into the bedroom where Amber waited for him.

As he crossed the threshold, something caught his eye before he could take a good look at her. There was something different about her eyes as she looked at him with rapture. The sparkle he had seen earlier was more brilliant than before and her face seemed to lighten like an Angel's.

His heart beat faster as he kept his eyes on her. He felt drawn to her like a magnet. Only then did he realize what was going on with him.

'_I think I may have some sort of feelings towards her'_ he thought to himself...

... Amber lay in Sylar's bed, the black sheet covering her body as she watched him approach her. Even though she had been a serial dater, she felt a strong connection to this man that she couldn't explain. She never expected it to happen to her.

Moving aside to give him room, she watched a rivulet of water trickle down from his forehead...to his rugged jawline...down to his exposed toned torso...to his indented navel...to the twin rope of muscle that edged below the top of the towel he wore around his waist. Her heart beat faster as she looked into his eyes. Something flashed inside that could only be described as raw passion.

He was her hero...her new best friend...her new confidant...Now, it seemed like he was becoming more in a heightened pace.

An avid reader of the Highlander romance novels, she had once read that people felt some kind of weird pulse or power when experiencing the unbridled lust of their mates. Amber wasn't entirely sure, but that's what it felt like to her.

His name escaped her lips as he descended down to give her a long, tender kiss...


	8. High on Emotion

_DISCLAIMER:__ I own nothing!_

Noah Bennett stood in the anteroom of the luxurious penthouse suite belonging to Angela Petrelli, shifting uncomfortably. He had no idea what would happen next or where he would be sent. A man who enjoyed being in control of every situation, Noah hated unpredictable moments like this one.

'What do I tell her?' he thought, turning his cellular phone over and over in his hands 'She may not believe that Sylar merely skipped this one on the list. Now what are we going to do?'

"Noah" Angela greeted him from upstairs "I'm so glad you came. Come into my office"

Gritting his teeth for the umpteenth time in hours, he climbed the spiral staircase to where the older woman stood and reluctantly followed her into her office. He wiped his sweaty palms on the front of his pleated khakis and sat in the chair in front of her.

"So" Angela mused, looking over a file "Sylar didn't go near this one...it doesn't seem like him"

"There has to be a logical reason" Noah replied, nervously crossing his legs "I had this gut feeling he was in Edmonton...you know my gut's usually accurate in these situations"

"Yes" Angela replied, closing the file she was perusing "It seems your gut may be right on that one"

Noah looked up at her sharply to see her handing him a newspaper article. He read it silently:

_**Man Found Burned To Death in St. Albert's Village Landing **_

_Police found the remains of a young Caucasian male in front of a local video rental store. Investigators are baffled by the mystery surrounding the location of the body and are looking for witnesses and any vital bits of information. Preliminary investigations reveal that the man was more than likely set on fire at a different location and the body was moved here._

_The deceased is currently being identified through dental records and is also undergoing a full autopsy on the remains for any other answers._

"What the hell" Noah rasped, setting the article down "Are you saying that Sylar did this?"

"Nobody knows for sure" Angela replied, looking over the list "According to the list of names, there are only two people in Edmonton who live near the St. Albert area and you questioned one of them today. I am certain that the other one may be involved somehow or that Sylar has gotten to her"

"Do you want me to go back to Edmonton and investigate?" Noah asked, understanding her sense of logic "Perhaps I need to bring this Miss. Magna in?"

"Right now, I want you to keep your eyes and ears open in Edmonton." Angela commanded "Inspect her house and anything else that could give you more information. If Sylar is there, there's a good chance he stole her powers"

"I will get the Haitian to come with me" he replied, writing down the correct address "Just in case Sylar is there. I can't risk any casualties"

"So be it" Angela replied, nodding...

... Amber sat in the television room, channel surfing. Gabriel had gone out about a half hour ago to get some groceries for them and instructed her to remain there, where she would be safest.

Sighing, she flipped through another couple of channels, hoping to find a show that was at least partially interesting. She got quite a shock when she landed on the next channel though.

"_Breaking News" said the female anchor "The arson victim of St. Albert, Alberta, Canada has been identified as 29 year old Jason Buchanan by his dental records. Police are now searching for a single suspect, 25 year old Amber Magna, who was said to have been the last person to have seen him. If anybody has any information on the whereabouts of Amber, please call your local police station immediately"_

"Oh my god" Amber gasped, her mouth open wide in shock "The police are looking for me now. I'm a fugitive murder suspect."

"Amber, I'm home" Gabriel's voice floated through the front door of the apartment "I got a few of the bare essentials and some special things for dinner"

Amber turned the television off, backing against the wall and kneeling down into a half-fetal position while her eyes were moist with tears. She heard Gabriel's footsteps get louder until she heard him drop the bag of groceries he was carrying before he rushed to her side.

"Amber, what's wrong?" he asked, forcing her to look at him by cradling her face. He felt his heart break when he saw that she was crying. Drawing her into a secure embrace, he cradled her shuddering form in his arms and stroked her hair until she was calm enough to talk.

"The police are looking for me" she managed to say after a few moments "They found Jason's remains and named me a person of interest. I don't want to go to jail...it was self defense...but, they won't believe me...they didn't believe me when I went to complain about being stalked by him"

"There, there" Gabriel crooned, his breath fanning her hair "It's okay now...I'm here...you can stay here as long as you like...longer even...if you need to."

"What about my home?" Amber whispered, burying her face into his chest "My whole life is in that house. What's going to happen?"

"The cops will no doubt do a search" he replied, kissing the top of her head "Some of your personal files will be taken by them for sure...then, there's also a secret investigative team out there looking for you as well. They're famous for tagging and bagging those with special abilities."

"I am losing out on my life because of that stupid son of a bitch Jason" Amber said angrily, clenching her fists as she broke away from his face and stood up "I did nothing to deserve this bullshit. How can I fight without my parents to help me out?"

"We need to harness and control your solar flare" Gabriel said, noticing her fists were glowing orange "Your powers are at their peak when emotions run high and if you use that to your advantage, you'll have these investigators and agents running with their tails between their legs"

"You really think so?" she asked, seemingly calming down for the moment as she unclenched her fists "Will that help?"

"Absolutely" Gabriel replied, smiling as she sat down next to him again. "I know what you are capable of and I have a feeling that things will turn out for the better. If you stay here with me, I will make sure you are safe and sound...and nothing bad will happen to you"

"Okay" Amber replied, a small smile emerging on her face "I will stay with you and learn to control my powers, even though my safety is the number one concern."

"I don't want to see you get hurt" Gabriel murmured, pulling her close again "I'll do whatever I can to ensure that you don't. Please have faith in me"

"I have faith in you, Gabri"...


	9. Past Sins Revealed

_DISCLAIMER:__ I own nothing!_

Noah and the Haitian stood inside the house of their intended, Amber Magna. After taking a few glances at the family pictures in the spacious living room, they went upstairs to her bedroom, where they were baffled to see no signs of a struggle or anything out of place.

"This is weird" Noah murmured to his partner, scratching his head "It almost looks like Sylar wasn't even here"

"I beg to differ" the Haitian said quietly, looking out the window at something hidden in the bushes of the front yard. Noah immediately went to the window to investigate.

"Well, well" Noah mused, his expression grim as he saw the dead body decaying near the bushes "It bears Sylar's crude signature. It looks like he was here after all. Let's check out the study across the hall"

"This might be useful" the Haitian said, picking up a book from the desk "It's her private journal"

"Good thinking"

The two men headed into the study, where Noah used his handgun to open the locked filing cabinet. When the lock gave way, he yanked open the drawers and took all the files with Amber's name on them out.

"We have what we were looking for" Noah murmured, signalling for his partner to exit with him "I will notify the people outside about the body"...

... Back in Queens, Amber paced back and forth in the television room, slowly going crazy with all the 'what-ifs' going through her mind. Sylar sat on the couch, watching her every move with curiosity.

"You're going to wear a path in my floor" he joked, motioning for her to sit next to him, patting the empty seat "Is there something wrong?"

"I'm worried, Gabri" she sighed, ceasing her pacing before sitting next to him "If those special agents are looking for me, they'll be stealing my files, no doubt, not that I have anything to hide. Thinking about that just makes me feel so violated"

"I know how you feel" he replied, remembering how they cleaned out his apartment looking for information "If Noah Bennett has been assigned to you, he won't stop until you've been acquired and brought in for questioning. And, if they decide to, they'll tag you and keep you locked in a glass cage."

"Are you speaking from experience?" Amber inquired, arching an eyebrow "You sure know a lot about these people"

"Yes" he replied, gritting his teeth "I remember the long periods of time where they pumped me full of this shit to keep me docile through a tube in my nose. I even remember Noah Bennett teasing and taunting me for getting caught"

"They sound like horrible people" Amber mused, making a disgusted face...

... Sylar sat there, debating whether or not he should tell her about the rest of his past. A part of him was gripped with fear that she would leave him upon finding out his dark hunger led him to murder innocent people. He was beginning to like this girl a lot and didn't want anything to screw it up.

He was so deep in thought that he didn't hear her say anything until she nudged him hard. He turned to look at her, arching an eyebrow.

"I was asking why these special agents apprehended you" she said, pretending to be angry "You were staring off into space"

Sylar sighed, realizing that telling her was inevitable.

"There's something I need to tell you, Amber" he said, turning to face her fully "Something about me"

She said nothing, waiting for him to elaborate.

"My main ability is the innate understanding of complex things" he explained truthfully "That's how I'm able to understand the mechanics of small watches and stuff"

"Okay" she said quietly "What else?"

"Well, there's a drawback to these powers" he said slowly, sighing "A drawback in the form of a dark insatiable appetite...the innate desire to acquire the abilities of others"

"What does this have to do with anything?" she asked before he silenced her with a finger on her lips.

"These past couple of years were a dark time for me" he replied "This dark hunger was like an addiction. I did everything I could to take whatever powers I wanted. Most of the time, my means of acquiring these powers were less than kind"

He trailed off, leaving her to mull his last words before continuing.

"Before I could get it under control" he added "I was an uncontrollable monster who made a lot of lives miserable. I've hurt a lot of people because of my addiction"

As his words sunk in, he saw the look that emerged on Amber's lovely face. Suddenly her features were hardened and her eyes looked cold. Sylar mentally kicked himself for being honest.

"Don't say any more" Amber said, standing up "I...I need to mull over what I just heard"

Before he could utter a word in protest, she went into the bedroom, shutting the door firmly closed behind her.

'_Oohh, smart move'_ he heard his evil inner voice snicker_ 'You just ruined your chance at stealing her power'_

'_You did the right thing'_ he heard his conscience say _'Being honest with her is the best thing you can do to keep your humanity intact'_

"Oh shut up" Sylar growled at himself, slamming his fist on the arm of the couch while he held back the urge to scream in frustration...

... Amber sat in the bedroom, trying to get everything he had told her figured out. She knew he was going to confess about killing others, but strangely enough, it changed nothing.

"He was a monster who stole other abilities" she murmured to herself "He hurt a lot of people...and yet, it doesn't bother me much"

He made people's lives a living hell. Fact.

He saved her life and protected her. Also a fact.

No matter how angry she thought she could get at him for revealing his darker side, it all melted away as she thought of how he had treated her since they first met. She knew a little about addictions and the consequences that came with them, but still couldn't find any justification to condemn him for his past sins. She also knew that people could beat addictions and it seemed like Gabri was trying to be a good person. It wasn't really a half assed attempt either.

"Should I forgive him or shall I leave and never come back?"she asked herself, hugging a pillow. She recalled everything he had done for her and how he protected her when she needed it the most. Never once was he insincere to her.

Soon, there was a knock at the bedroom door.

"Amber" she heard him call "Is everything okay? The last thing I wanted to do was hurt you...but I felt you needed to know from me first and not the rest of the world. Please forgive me, Amber. I...care about you...a lot"

It was then that she made her decision. She headed to the bedroom door and opened it to see him standing there with the saddest look on his handsome face.

She then grabbed him and kissed him...


	10. Nothing Is What It Seems

_DISCLAIMER:__ I own nothing!_

Claire stood outside of her father's office, listening intently to find out what she could about the Company's latest target. Sighing, all she could hear was the rustling of papers.

"Damnit" she whispered to herself, yawning "I need to find out who this person is so I can help them. I need to get to this person before Sylar or my dad does"

She heard her father stand up from his creaky desk chair and rushed into the living room so that he wouldn't know she was spying on him. Quickly grabbing a copy of Cosmopolitan magazine, she pretended to read whatever article it was open on.

"Claire bear" she heard her father call as he entered the living room "I need to talk to you"

"I'm here, Dad" she said, lowering the magazine "What's up?"

Noah sat in his favourite chair, facing his daughter.

"I need to go out of town for a bit, Claire" her father said, eyeing the article she was reading. Claire followed his gaze, and, noticing that she left it open on a sexual article, she immediately closed the magazine.

"Back to Edmonton, Dad?" she asked, her face flushed in embarrassment.

"I have to go to New York and bring some files to your grandmother" he replied, his tone turning slightly sour at the mention of her paternal grandmother.

"Okay dad" she said, hugging him "I promise to be careful and not do anything stupid"

"That's my Claire Bear" he murmured, returning the hug "I will call you as soon as you land"

With that, he stood up and headed upstairs to pack. Realizing it was an opportunity, she rushed into the office. Noticing the open file on his desk, she quickly perused it, looking over as much as she could. She then took her cellular phone out of her pocket and took pictures of two files that caught her eye.

Putting the phone in her pocket, she slipped out of the office and went upstairs to her bedroom...

... "I'm glad you have forgiven me, Amber" Sylar said, pulling her naked body closer to his in a tight embrace "You have no idea how much it means to me"

Amber smiled, resting her head on his bare chest. After she had kissed him, he made her a special dinner and then made love to her afterwards for a couple of hours. She had never been so happy in her life.

"I would be a hypocrite if I didn't" she replied, kissing him "As it is, you've been there for me throughout everything I've just been through. Your presence makes everything seem even just a little bit better"

"I want you to stay here with me" he said, his tone becoming serious "It's too dangerous for you to live in Edmonton, especially with the Company looking for you"

"Will I be able to get a few sentimental items?" she asked woefully, remembering a few items that she usually never left home without "I'm only asking for a few, not a lot."

"I think that can be arranged" he replied, understanding her pain "Even if you can just get a picture of your family"

"That would mean a whole lot to me" she murmured, closing her eyes as he squeezed her tight "It wouldn't feel right to be here without pictures of my family and my two guitars...everything else can stay, including my files...they probably got to those already"

"Anything else you need, I can get for you" he replied, stroking her hair "You don't have to work if you don't want to, especially if you don't feel safe leaving the apartment."

"Can you take me tomorrow?" she asked hopefully, slowly falling into the depths of slumber "I want to get it over with as quickly as possible"

"Anything for you" he murmured, yawning "But for now, get some sleep"...

... Angela Petrelli looked at the file Noah had just given her, her mouth a firm line.

"This is the girl the police are looking for" she said finally, after a long moment of silence "Amber Magna. She is responsible for the arson death"

"Yes" Noah replied, handing her a picture "And this body here bears Sylar's M.O."

Angela grimaced as she looked at the bloody, decaying mess in the picture. In her mind, there was no doubt that Sylar was responsible for this murder.

"What about the other murder?" Angela murmured, her mouth a tight line again "Did the authorities establish a motive yet?"

"No" Noah replied, handing her a police report "But I have a feeling that this murder was in self defense. She filed a police report earlier on this year, claiming that the deceased was abusive and was stalking her"

"Hmmm" was all Angela could say.

"It says here that she even took videos on her cellular phone of him following her everywhere" he added, perusing the report "Judging by the situation, it looks like the police did nothing about it"

"Not if he was at her supposed workplace" Angela mused, agreeing with his train of thought "Yes, it's quite likely that it was self defense. This is why we need to find this girl and have her in our custody so we can protect her from the other authorities. If Sylar is with Amber, then there's no doubt he'd be manipulating her to help him."

"Yes" Noah agreed "He's done it before...do you remember Maya? Before she was healed by Mohinder Suresh, she was manipulated by Sylar to remain with him, even after he murdered her brother Alejandro"

"Yes, I remember" Angela replied, sighing "Until we find out anything more, I want you to go home to Costa Verde and watch over my granddaughter. She could be in grave danger again"...

... Claire walked up to the house, still covered in police tape. The front door had been knocked down by a battering ram recently. Sighing and shaking her head, she breached the police tape and slowly went inside the open door.

As she ascended the small staircase, she looked into the open living room, marvelling at the two pianos before noticing all of the family pictures. She took a look at the extensive collection before noticing the giant portrait hanging over the ebony baby grand piano.

Noticing the plaque underneath, she moved closer, reading the inscription.

"Luca and Gemma Magna" she read out loud "Beloved parents until their untimely deaths. 1951 and 1955 until 2008"

A tear slid down her cheek as soon as she realized that the girl had recently lost her parents. She knew the girl's pain when she recalled the time she thought she had lost her father.

"Poor thing" she whispered, looking at a picture of her with her two older brothers "It's a terrible thing to go through"

Her sympathy session was cut short when she heard noises upstairs. She found the staircase and ascended slowly but quietly. Sure enough, she heard a girl's voice in the furthest bedroom.

She slowly edged closer to the room, catching a glimpse of two people. Her blood ran cold as she got a good look at one of them.

"Sylar" she hissed, her eyes narrowing "What the hell is he doing here?"

"Gabri" she heard the girl say as she opened and closed a couple of drawers "I need to go downstairs to get a couple of pictures...I'll be right back"

Claire hid in the nearest room, pulling the door closed as the girl approached her direction. As she passed the doorway, she noticed that it was indeed the girl her father was investigating.

When she was sure that the girl was downstairs, Claire let herself out into the hallway and quickly walked to the bedroom, where she saw her nemesis lying on the bed leisurely. He stood up as soon as he saw her cross the threshold.

"Sylar" she hissed again, glaring at him.

"Claire, what a pleasant surprise" Sylar quipped, cocking his head "How did you get here? Is your dear old dad with you?"

"I came alone" Claire replied, her voice dangerously low "What the hell are you doing here? What does this girl have that you want?"

Sylar paled, giving her a hard look.

"He wants nothing but my love and respect for him" Claire heard from behind "I know you may not find it possible, but he actually cares about me"

Claire turned to face the older girl, hoping she could get her to listen.

"Amber, right?" she said tentatively. The girl nodded and waited for her to continue. "I know it's hard to believe, but Sylar is far from boyfriend material. He's hurt a lot of people in the past few years, me included"

"I know" the girl replied, clutching a couple of the framed photos she had brought from downstairs "He's told me everything...please believe me...Gabri has been nothing but good to me. He even saved my life. I know it's hard, but could you find it in your heart to forgive him?"

Claire looked at the girl in disbelief...


	11. Possessions

_DISCLAIMER:__ I own nothing!_

... "You want me to forgive that monster for all the hell he put me through?" Claire demanded, her green eyes still flashing in disbelief "What spell does he have you under?"

"Listen to her, Claire" Sylar said, an odd look on his face as he approached the two girls "She is telling you the truth. I'm not the monster you think I am anymore. Please believe us"

Claire looked at him, mulling over what he had just said. Something about the way he pleaded her to believe him was different than the way he usually pleaded his case...it seemed somewhat...sincere.

"What about the boy you murdered?" Claire asked Amber coolly "What's that all about?"

"It's a long story" Amber sighed, looking at the photographs she held. "I'd love to tell you sometime, but I can't here. Gabri and I need to leave as soon as possible. If you want to find me, I'm staying with Gabri at his apartment in Queens. I'll also give you my cellular number...feel free to call me anytime."

She set the photographs down in the suitcase she had packed and wrote her cellular number on a piece of paper on her desk. She quickly handed Claire the number.

"This isn't over" Claire said quietly, sighing "But I will call you tonight to get the full story from you. You should hurry. My dad or the police could return at any second."

"Thank you" Amber said, giving Claire a grateful hug "I promise I will tell you everything"

With that, she zipped up her suitcase and held it, while Sylar wrapped his arms around her.

"There's one thing I need to say before we leave" he said quietly, giving Claire a look "Times have changed...I'm not the same man anymore...you have nothing to fear from me, Claire"

With that, they disappeared, leaving Claire alone in the room.

"I'll believe it when I see it" she muttered under her breath as she dialled for a cab...

... Moments later, Sylar and Amber appeared back in his Queens apartment, both breathing a collective sigh of relief.

"That was intense" Amber commented, opening her suitcase for the photos she brought with her. "She looked very angry"

"She was one of my many victims" he said, taking the photos from her and setting them on a nearby table "I don't blame her for hating me as much as she does"

"I'm glad she decided to let us go" Amber said, bringing the open suitcase into the bedroom "It could have been much worse. Who is her father anyways?"

"She was Claire Bennett" Sylar explained, following her into the room "Her father is Noah Bennett...the most persistent man in the world"

"Why did she decide to help me?" Amber inquired, turning to look at him. "Wouldn't she have sided with him?"

"Unlike Noah, Claire doesn't believe in the main directive of the Company" he replied, sitting on the bed. "She doesn't like their tag and bag system so she helps those who are of interest to her father"

"Can I trust her if I tell her the truth?"

"Absolutely" Sylar replied without hesitation "I'd trust her over her father anyday...just be careful. Her father has ways of finding things out about people...he's a very crafty bastard. He's also not afraid of turning against people for his own benefit"

"I promise I'll be careful, Gabri" Amber promised, crossing her heart "I want to be safe, not some science project slash zoo captive"

"Make yourself at home" Sylar said, smiling at her "Pick two drawers in the dresser and take as many hangers as you need from my closet. There's plenty of room for you. Can I help you unpack?"

"Sure" she giggled, opening her suitcase the rest of the way and taking out her bag of make-up and toiletries before pulling out some t-shirts and jeans.

Sylar smirked noticing that she didn't forget to pack some of the risqué lingerie he had first spied in her drawers when he searched his house that first day. He felt the desire building within him as he took said items and put them in one of the two empty drawers.

"You really didn't bring much" he commented, smiling at the small stash of lingerie that she brought with her. "But I'd love to see you wear some of these things"

"Maybe you will" she said in a seductive voice from behind as he felt her arms wrap around his waist. His eyes widening in surprise, Sylar turned around to face her.

"Naughty girl" he murmured, a sly smirk creeping across his face "I like it"

Before he could say anything else, she let go of him and began to rub his chest. The arousal within him raised itself to higher peaks as he enjoyed the feel of her hands on his body. Then, out of the blue, she pushed him back onto the bed and pounced on him like a wild tigress.

"Would you have it any other way?" she murmured in reply before claiming his mouth with hers in a long tender kiss. Sylar groaned in lust as her tongue slid against his with delicious friction. He arched his hips up, allowing his erection to grind against her heat before she began rubbing herself against him.

Amber smiled in satisfaction as his eyes rolled back in pleasure. She continued to grind into his hardness slowly, enjoying the feel of his desire against her pulsing core. She kissed him with increasing intensity and then felt the sizzle that enveloped the both of them.

Sylar reached up and began to caress her full breasts, kneading them with agonizing softness. Growling with his lust for her, he ripped open her shirt with his telekinesis and used his teeth to free her breasts from their somewhat skimpy restraint. As they fell out of their confinement, he reached up and kneaded them harder, eliciting a lustful gasp from her lips.

Feeling that he was close to losing control, he rolled them over until he was on top of her. He then resumed his sexual pursuits, kissing and nibbling her jaw before trailing his lips down to between her lush breasts. He took his t-shirt off and undid the front of his jeans, letting his hardness strain against his boxers and ultimately against her core. He then began to grind into her slowly with maddening friction.

"Oh my god" Amber rasped as he traced her lips with the tip of his thumb while he ground into her heat slowly, his hips going in slow circles.

She clutched at him, digging her nails into his bare back as he nuzzled into her neck, low groans reverberating in his chest. He felt his primal urges consume him and he spread her legs further so he could remove her pants and underwear.

"Please" he heard her groan as she panted in pleasure "Remove them...especially my panties...get them out of the way...I need to feel you"

"With pleasure" he growled, using his telekinesis to rip them off of her before resuming his position between her legs...


	12. Amber's Story

_DISCLAIMER:__ I own nothing!_

_A/N:__ I know you're wondering why Sylar is always horny in this story. Remember, Sylar fans, he has that uncontrollable hunger for other people's powers...but since he now has feelings for Amber, he is substituting one hunger for another subconsciously because he doesn't want to hurt her in any way, shape or form. I know it's a Mary Sue way of making things turn out, but I promise it will get better! Thank you all for reading and reviewing!_

Claire sat on top of her bed, hugging a pillow to her chest as she mulled over what had happened that afternoon. Lucky for her, she planned ahead and booked a return flight when she booked her flight to Edmonton so she managed to be back in her room when her father pulled into the driveway.

She laid back against the headboard, the memories of her encounters with Sylar flooding through her subconscious like a bad dream. Forgive that monster? She'd rather have jumped off the Empire State Building.

But, she thought of Amber, the girl she'd met. Amber wasn't afraid of Sylar, yet knew every single bit of his dark side. It was a weird sight to see Sylar caring about someone's safety...it was like he was under some kind of spell, yet he didn't sound like he was being manipulated.

"Claire Bear" her father said from her doorway, making her snap to attention.

"Hi dad" she brightened, rushing to give him a welcome home hug "How's grandma Angela doing?"

"She's doing fine" Noah replied, returning the hug "She was worried about you so it looks like I won't be pursuing Sylar right now. In fact, I will be staying home for a few days"

Claire felt a mental sigh of relief at his words. Since the time that he was presumed dead, she always worried when he went on his trips. It also meant that it would be hard for him to find out about her trips to Edmonton and back.

"I'm glad" she said, smiling at her father "Even though mom and Lyle aren't living with us, you staying home will make us feel like a family again"

"I love you, Claire Bear" he said, giving her a hug "I'm glad we can spend some time together"

With that, he left the room, unaware that his daughter was able to get a much needed break in the Sylar/Amber case. Claire sighed in relief, taking her cellular phone out of her purse. She quickly dialled Amber's number and waited for her to pick up. She grabbed a notebook from her night table for anything interesting she could write down.

"Hello?" Amber's sleepy voice greeted her.

"Hey Amber" Claire returned the greeting "Did I catch you at a bad time?"

"No...of course not" Amber replied, seemingly more alert "I was just waking up from a nap"

"Okay" Claire relented, getting into business mode "Tell me about the victim"

"The so-called victim is me in this whole situation" Amber huffed, sighing "But his name is Jason Buchanan and he's my ex boyfriend. I broke up with him half a year ago"

Claire furrowed her brow in thought.

"And"

"Let's just say he doesn't take no for an answer. I figured that out the hard way 3 months into the relationship when I refused to be his house slave. He just wanted me around the house like a piece of furniture. If my parents were still alive, they would have been able to protect me...but alas, that's when he started the abuse."

Claire wrote what she could down about the previous statement.

"After three more months of emotional and verbal abuse, I ended things with him and had my brothers be my escort when I took what few belongings I had there. It seemed to work for about two months, but that's when he started stalking me" Amber added "It started off with him following me home from work...but then it got worse...he followed me to the mall, parked outside my house at night, and even started making threatening calls to me"

"Didn't you go to the police?" Claire asked, suddenly feeling sorry for her "Couldn't they do anything?"

"No" Amber replied bitterly "Jason's father is well connected. He has enough money to get Jason out of any kind of trouble with the authorities. He owns three of the biggest nightclubs in Edmonton. No matter what I tried, the cops did nothing for me. I even had statements written up that never got a second glance"

"That's horrible" Claire exclaimed, writing the part about the statements down "Tell me about the night he died. Is that when your powers manifested?"

"Not exactly" Amber said, after hesitating "My powers somehow came out when I gave myself some self-loving. It somehow had energizing properties, which attracted Gabri to me." 

Claire grimaced at the thought of Sylar being anyone else but Sylar.

"Anyways" Amber continued "I was at work a few nights ago, doing a cycle count when Jason confronted me inside the store. Just when I thought that things would get worse, Gabri came into the store and interrupted. I was so glad that he was there. He saved me for the moment."

"For the moment?" Claire inquired, tapping the pen against her teeth.

"Yes" Amber agreed "After I closed the store, Gabri helped me outside and that's when Jason confronted us a second time. He knocked Gabri down and grabbed me by the hair. As I was protesting, Jason hit me twice in the face, telling me that I was his and all that. Gabri managed to rip him away from me and have him pinned to the wall with his powers but, in a rash move that made things worse, I distracted him...that's when Jason shot him"

"Sylar tried to save you?" Claire asked in disbelief "Wow, that's rare"

"He was down on the ground, bleeding as Jason pointed the gun at me after I screamed. I focused on him, letting my anger grow...the next thing I know, Gabri is comforting me as I lay on the sidewalk and Jason is burned to a crisp"

"That's all I need on that" Claire said, grimacing as she prepared to ask the inevitable "What is your relationship with Sylar?"

"Well" Amber hesitated "He was my hero at first...now he's become something more to me. I know about his past and his reputation. He told me so himself."

"That's all I need to know, Amber" Claire said, closing her notebook "Thanks for telling me everything"

"May I ask you something, Claire?"

"Go ahead" Claire replied, putting the notebook away.

"What did Gabri do to you?"

Claire bit her lip, thinking of a sane reply.

"He has an innate ability to borrow powers from other people like us" Claire replied, feeling uncomfortable "He did the same with me. That's how he can heal faster than a normal human being. That's the power I have"

"Oh"

"Yeah" Claire said, squeezing her eyes shut to get rid of the memories "It was an unpleasant experience. I hope you understand why I don't really trust him much"

"Yes" Amber replied, clearing her throat "I hope someday, when we get past this ordeal, we can be friends"

"I'd like that" Claire said, exhaling "Anyways I should go. Thanks again for everything"

With that, she hung up, feeling confused and conflicted by what Amber had told her. The way she described Sylar was the most disturbing at all since it was the total opposite of what she loathed and hated about him.

"Something isn't right" she murmured, setting her cellular phone down "I need to see this changed behaviour for myself...even if it means being friends with him"...


	13. Old Friends and New Foes

_DISCLAIMER:__ I own nothing!_

... Amber slowly crawled out of bed, careful not to disturb Sylar's peaceful slumber. After talking to Claire on the phone moments before, she couldn't help but feel her old wounds open again after her recollections.

Sighing, she crept into the television room, sitting on the soft leather couch with her knees hugging her chest. Gently rocking herself back and forth, she absently wished she could talk to her old friends. She felt so alone in New York and, save for having Sylar around, she wondered what her friends were doing back home in Edmonton. She wondered if Victoria still wanted her at her lavish birthday party.

Almost as if on cue, her cellular phone came to life, vibrating on the coffee table where it lay charging. Suppressing a shriek of delight, Amber picked her phone up to see that she had received a text from Victoria herself. The message made Amber's loneliness disappear for the moment:

_Hey sis...hope you'll still come to my party. I know things are rough for you with Jason's murder but I uwant you there no matter what._

"There you are" a familiar male voice said from the doorway. Amber dropped her phone in surprise.

"Gabri, you startled me" she exclaimed, sighing in relief as she bent to pick up the phone.

"I went to go get myself a glass of water and found your side of the bed empty" he said, sauntering over to the couch, clad only in boxers. "So what's with your phone?"

"Victoria texted me" Amber exclaimed happily as he sat next to her "She still wants me to come to her birthday party"

Sylar raised a questioning eyebrow at her.

"She's my best friend in the entire world, Gabri" Amber explained, pouting slightly "I have to be there for her. I'm sure it will be safe. She would never get the cops involved"

"It's not just the cops" Sylar sighed, yawning "If Noah Bennett gets a lead on you, it will be very difficult to escape him"

"Please" Amber begged, giving him her version of the puppy dog eyes "I'll be careful...I promise"

Without warning, Sylar burst out laughing.

"If it means that much to you, we will go" he said, chortling "But, if I sense one iota of danger, we're out of there. Do you understand?"

"Yes" Amber said, grabbing him and hugging him "You're the best, Gabri"...

... Victoria Ramirez sat at her desk in the small bungalow's den, hoping she would get a reply from Amber as quickly as possible. She knew what Amber had gotten herself into lately, and despite everything, she missed her friend and wanted her to be at her birthday party.

"Are you sure she will text back?" A male voice asked from across her desk. Victoria gazed at the ruggedly handsome man sitting there.

"I'm sure she will" she replied, wiping her sweaty palms on the front of her skirt "She and I are like sisters"

As if on cue, her phone vibrated. She picked it up and read the message.

"Looks like the party is a go" she replied, sighing "She also mentioned bringing a date"

"I appreciate your cooperation, Ms. Ramirez" the man replied, gazing at the Filipino girl coolly "If she comes through, we will drop all your sister's theft charges and give her a clean slate"

"What do you plan on doing with her?" Victoria demanded, remembering all of the trouble Amber had with the local authorities over her volatile relationship with Jason.

"She will be arrested and charged with counts of Murder, Arson and Manslaughter" he replied "I was hired by Julian Buchanan to track her down and bring her to justice"

"Didn't Julian tell you of the countless reports that Amber tried to file with the Police and the RCMP?" Victoria snapped, glaring at him "They basically refused to help her"

"It doesn't matter" the private detective replied, smirking arrogantly "She is a lying slut who will get what she deserves in the end"

Victoria's eyes widened in anger as she reached across the desk and slapped him across the face. He laughed, grabbing her wrist quickly and savagely so that her body was halfway across the desk.

"I'd be careful if I were you" he warned her, his eyes narrowing "You wouldn't want to get on my bad side, love"

Victoria kept her mouth shut and averted her eyes as he took her hand and kissed it. His fingertips trailed up her arm, to the undersides of her small breasts.

"Now, love" he said, in a low voice as he smiled slyly "Give me some of that sugar that you gave me last night"

Victoria closed her eyes and surrendered to the detective's touch...

... "What do you think of this one?" Amber asked, flouncing out of the dressing room at Macy's in a beautiful short black cocktail dress with a slit up both sides.

Sylar gave her dress an appraising gaze and then shook his head.

"It's not you" he said, eyeing some dresses on a nearby rack "Try on the blue pixie dress and I'll see if I can find something more suitable"

Rolling her eyes, Amber flounced back into the dressing room. They had been at the dress department in this store for nearly an hour and a half and they still couldn't find anything. Sylar was beginning to get irritated being in the women's section for so long, but he didn't want her to go by herself so he stayed with her.

Sylar let his eyes roam through all of the racks until a flash of red caught his eye. It was a deep red halter dress with a slit up one side. It was a little longer than the ones they had originally picked out, but it looked much classier. He quickly found her size and waited patiently for her to come out of the dressing room in the light blue dress that looked like something Tinkerbell would have worn.

Moments later, Amber emerged from the dressing room, shaking her head no.

"This dress is not for me" she said, trying to smooth down the puffy fabric "I'm not fond of all the poof"

"Me neither" he replied, holding up the red halter dress "How about this one?"

He couldn't help but smile at the way her eyes widened in wonder. She quickly grabbed it and flounced back into the dressing room to try it on. As an added measure, he crossed his fingers for luck.

She quickly came out of the dressing room and struck a few sexy poses in front of him. He loved the way the dress fit her lush curves just right...and how it showed just the right amount of skin to make his temperature rise. He knew this had to be the dress.

"I like it" he said immediately, smiling at her "It looks great on you"

"I agree" she said, beaming "I am going to be the sexiest woman at that party"

Sylar glowered at that comment, wondering how many unwanted suitors he would have to fend off on her behalf.

"Lighten up!" she exclaimed, giggling "You know I'm going to that party with you...nobody else...so you better enjoy it"

"Oh I will" he murmured, flashing his trademark smirk as he advanced on her...


	14. Truth and Clarity

_DISCLAIMER:__ I own nothing!_

Private Detective Michael Brady stat in the den of his spacious Downtown St. Albert apartment, going over the file handed to him by Julian Buchanan a mere few nights ago. It was full of police reports written up against Amber Magna for the stalking of Julian's late son Jason. The St. Albert RCMP benefitted greatly from Mr. Buchanan's generous donations and contributions, so they took his word on everything, even if he stretched the truth.

If Detective Brady weren't a shrewd man, he would have given the girl the benefit of the doubt and talked to her first. However, since he was being paid a generous sum to bring this wayward girl to justice, he didn't give a damn if she was innocent or not. He had a lifestyle to maintain and he was being paid a fortune.

It was an easy enough matter to get through to her best friend, Victoria Ramirez. Her younger sister Serenity had been arrested countless times for theft and would have faced substantial time in jail by his hand if Victoria didn't cooperate. Just as he suspected, she melted like a tub of butter and begged for him to leave Serenity alone. She offered to do anything to have him stay away from her little sister. In addition to her cooperation, he managed to fit in a few romps in bed with her as well. It was very convenient for him.

Now, as he sat there, drinking a glass of single malt scotch, he began to formulate a plan to capture the fugitive at Victoria's birthday bash. He knew nobody would suspect a thing if he posed as Victoria's date. Since L'Aronde could only be accessed through an elevator, he planned to have several officers waiting downstairs as his backup in case she tried to muster an escape. It was all falling into place.

"Enjoy your freedom while you still can, you Italian slut" he murmured, taking a long sip of his scotch as he looked at her picture "Because your life will soon be a living hell at my hands"...

... Victoria sat in her bedroom, tears streaming down her cheeks. She felt horrible for selling out her best friend to save her sister from going to jail, not to mention going to bed with the bastard.

She sobbed, remembering all the assignments Amber did for her so she could pass her courses and graduate from Archbishop O'Leary High School with her. Even when she had her own issues with men, Amber remained dutifully by her side during her hellish divorce from her ex husband Sean. Amber did a lot for her and how did she repay her best friend? She threw herself in with the enemy as soon as he threatened her.

"Oh Amber" Victoria sobbed "I'm so sorry...I wish I could undo what I have done in the past couple of weeks...I didn't mean for this to happen. I hope you will find it in your heart to forgive me"

Wiping her eyes on the duvet, an idea came to her. She would let Amber know about the cops being there before the Detective could get his hands on her. That way, she would at least absolve some of her recent sins. After all, it was she who taught Amber to understand some Tagalog...Detective Brady wouldn't know what hit him.

Slowly but surely, a sly smile began creeping up her face...

"Okay, Amber" Sylar murmured, setting up a makeshift target in the kitchen. "Focus all your energy and see if you can hit this with your solar flare"

Amber narrowed her eyes in concentration and focused on her anger at Jason for everything he had put her through. She felt her anger build up the way it did the night she killed him as her clenched fists felt white hot. With a war cry, she summoned the solar flare and allowed it to consume the target.

She staggered a bit, feeling blood coming out of her nose again. Sylar handed her a tissue to mop up the stream of blood.

"You did it" he exclaimed, kissing her "You didn't need to learn to control it...this was within you all along!"

"Yay" she said sarcastically, tossing the tissue in the trash bin next to her.

"Wow, don't get too excited" he replied, raising an eyebrow at her reaction "What's wrong?"

Amber sighed.

"I'm worried, Gabri" she admitted, crossing her arms before banging her fist on the counter "What if I'm wrong and the cops are waiting for us there?"

"Don't fret, my pet" he replied, putting an arm around her shoulders "If all else fails, I will take care of you. We have the means of a fast escape anyways. I can teleport, remember?"

"True" she said, sighing again as they walked to the television room "But I have a bad feeling that a nasty surprise will be waiting for me"

Sylar grabbed her by the shoulders and turned her to face him. He then cradled her face in his large hands.

"Listen to me, Amber" he said tenderly, his dark eyes sparkling with clarity and purpose "No matter what happens, I'll be there for you. That's why I'm coming with you to this party. I want you to be safe...not a prisoner in jail or a caged animal in a facility. You belong here with me and I won't let anything happen to you that you don't wish upon yourself. Do you understand me?"

"I...I understand" Amber said softly, looking deeply into his eyes "But what is so special about me? I'm just a girl-"

"A girl with an extraordinary gift" he interrupted, still cradling her face "A girl who has helped me to discover the human side that I thought didn't exist within me. You have taught me a lot about my true self in a shockingly short time and accepted me despite all of my faults. You're everything to me now, Amber and I can't bear to lose you. Please believe me"

"What are you trying to say, Gabri?" she asked, seeing a message in his eyes.

"I...I love you Amber" he whispered, kissing the top of her forehead "I know it seems sudden but it just feels so right. I will do anything and everything in my power to protect you and help you develop your powers further. You saved my life once, remember? I plan to do the same for you"

"Oh Gabri" she sighed, brightening a little bit "I...love you too. You have always been there for me when I needed it and haven't left my side since. I wish I had met you before I met Jason so that this present bullshit wouldn't be hanging over our heads. I hate how you're in the middle of this mess when you don't deserve it"

"I'm in this with you because I care" he rebutted, pulling her close for a tight embrace "I wouldn't be here if I didn't want it. With the two of us together, we are an unstoppable force...people will be afraid to cross us. If the cops try to hassle us at Victoria's party, they will wish they were never born. So, cheer up and enjoy what's to come!"

Amber said nothing, wrapping her arms around his strong body... 


	15. Peter Joins In

_DISCLAIMER: __I own nothing!_

… Although feeling less uneasy about the upcoming party, Amber wanted to confide in someone else…someone female. Knowing that Victoria could more than likely be offended by her lack of trust in her, Amber decided to give Claire a call…

… Claire sat in the break room of the comic book store she worked at, sipping a frappuccino when she heard her phone ring. Her father had previously mentioned plans of going to New York to talk to her grandmother, so she wasn't expecting a call.

Picking up her phone, she saw the number and frowned…what did Amber want?

"Hello?" she answered, looking around to make sure her co-workers weren't in sight. "Amber?"

"Claire" the voice on the other end said tentatively "I need to talk to you"

"Is there anything wrong?" Claire asked, her tone becoming serious "Is Sylar hurting you?"

"No" was the reply "It's something else…You see, my friend Victoria invited me to her lavish birthday party in Edmonton. Gabri and I are going but I feel uneasy about it…something doesn't feel right"

"Hmm, I see what you mean" she commented, sipping her frappuccino "Do you think that you will be ambushed?"

"Yes" Amber said quickly "By the poiice. It seems like Victoria is desperate for me to attend this birthday party"

A plan formulated in Claire's mind as she thought about Amber's words.

"Amber" she said, suddenly deciding to call in a friend of hers to help "I'm going to call a friend of mine….he has a special power like us and might be able to see what is going on…he might even be able to let us know what is going to happen"

"Okay" Amber agreed, sounding relieved "I will expect your call back. Her party is tomorrow night…hopefully he can find some information out for me"

"I will see what we can do" she promised "I'll talk to you soon"

With that, she hung up. Determined to help Amber, she dialed a number memorized in her head and forever imprinted in her heart.

"Hello?"

"Hi Peter" Claire greeted him "I need your help"…

… Amber sighed in relief, putting her phone down. Talking to Claire had taken a huge weight off of her shoulders. She stood up and stretched, deciding to get dressed.

"Amber, are you awake?" she heard Sylar call from the kitchen "Breakfast is almost ready"

"I'll be right there" she called back, slipping into a tight pair of jeans and an equally tight black tank top. As she passed the dresser, she picked up an elastic band and quickly put her hair in a high ponytail.

She then sauntered into the kitchen, where Sylar was serving scrambled eggs and bacon.

"There you are" he said, as she sat at his small kitchen table "Thought you were going to sleep till noon"

"No" she replied, blushing "I was doing some stretching and yoga"

"Ahh" he said, getting the orange juice out of the refrigerator and setting it on the table. "So, what would you like to do today?"

Amber smiled, remembering what they had told each other the previous night. She felt like she was in a cuddly mood.

Sylar noticed her smile and smiled warmly himself…her smile was that infectious.

"Well" he said, after eating a mouthful of eggs "Something tells me you're in a cuddly mood"

He didn't need his ability to know that one…the blush creeping up her cheeks gave him the answer he needed…

… Peter Petrelli stood in his modest apartment, paintbrush poised as he began to tap into his adopted ability to paint the future. When his niece called that morning, he had already known about Amber from his mother and Noah Bennett and he wondered why she would help a murderer.

He had to be sworn to secrecy about Claire's involvement, and it made sense to him since Noah was fiercely protective of his adopted daughter. He knew his niece was strong and could handle anything that came her way. The past couple of years they shared together showed just that much to him. He also felt that letting Noah find out that Claire had open communication with Amber was detrimental to any progress Claire made with the fugitive.

He closed his eyes and let the power consume him. His irises turned white and he began painting furiously. His phone beeped incessantly but he kept going for a long time until the power ceased and he stood there, gazing at the finished portrait.

What he saw made his blood turn cold.

His painting was an image of a giant fireball hurtling towards what looked like a smug police officer. The fireball was being launched from a girl who could only be Amber. He gazed at the man next to her, transfixed in horrific fascination at the realization that Sylar was with her…funny how Claire didn't mention that…or maybe she didn't know…either way, this had to be brought to Noah's attention, with or without Claire's consent.

With a shaky hand, he dialed Noah's number.

"Bennett here" Noah's voice greeted him.

"Noah, it's Peter" he said urgently "We have a problem"…

… Later on that day, Amber paced around the television room, waiting for Claire's reply. Sylar had gone out for a quick while to get a new shirt for his tuxedo.

It had been a long, agonizing few hours waiting for her reply and not hearing from Claire was making things worse. She stopped her pacing and dropped to the couch, biting her nails.

"Honey, I'm home" Sylar called as he entered the apartment.

"I'm in here, Gabri" she called back, wiping the worry off her face "I was just meditating"

"I think you'll like my new shirt" he said, pleased with himself "In fact, I think you will like my tux too"

"Why don't you put it all on and model for me?" she asked, forcing herself to smile…


	16. The Party of the Century

_DISCLAIMER:__ I own nothing!_

_A/N:__ I just want to take the time to thank all of my fans and reviewers for reading and enjoying my story!_

... Noah Bennett sat in his office, gritting his teeth in frustration. Peter had just called to tell him of the future he saw in his painting and it didn't look good, especially since Sylar was in it too. Thinking about Sylar being in the middle of it all made his blood boil, not to mention the fugitive girl using her powers so brazenly in public. He had to get to Edmonton and fast.

He sprinted from his seat and went upstairs to Claire's room, where she was listening to her I-Pod. As he crossed the threshold, she looked up and immediately took off the earbuds.

"Hey Claire Bear" he said, sighing "It looks like I have to make another trip. Your Uncle has urgent business to discuss with me in New York. I want you to stay here and be extra careful because Sylar is on the loose"

Claire looked concerned but kept up a poker face.

"Okay, Dad" she said, getting up from her bed to give him a hug "Have a safe trip. I will be here when you get back"

With that, Noah left the room to pack...

... Claire clenched her fists after she closed her bedroom door. She had a sinking feeling that Peter went behind her back and told her father Amber and Sylar's whereabouts. Now she was super angry at her uncle for betraying her trust. She knew she had to warn Amber and fast.

She grabbed her phone and sent Amber a text.

_Amber,_

_Something is up, but not entirely sure what. Please watch your back at the party and be careful. My dad may be heading there..._

Satisfied with her warning, Claire put her earbuds back on and continued listening to music, vowing not to forgive her uncle...

... Amber was in the middle of watching Sylar model his tuxedo when she got Claire's message. As he took the jacket off to show her his new shirt, she kept a poker face and quickly glanced at the message. Although relieved that she finally got a response, she felt uneasy, her fears confirmed.

"Something wrong?" he asked, noticing the change in expression "You look like you got a nasty text"

"It's from Claire" she replied, biting her lip "It's a warning that her father will be coming to Edmonton. Claire talked to a friend who could see the future"

"It'll take Noah a while to find out everything he needs" he said, frowning at the thought of Peter joining in this battle "After all, neither of them knows what the venue is and the day it happens"

"I hope you're right" was all she said...

... "This makes no sense" Noah exclaimed, examining the painting Peter had done "Sylar looks like he's trying to stop her...why?"

"I have no idea" Peter replied, frowning in thought "Maybe he still wants her power?"

"God only knows" Noah hissed, sighing "We need to find out where this will take place. I can't just run to Edmonton on a hunch"

"We may have to call Parkman and ask if Molly would help us" Peter suggested, hating to use the little girl for her ability "I know he won't like the thought but she may be our last hope to find Sylar and this girl"

"Call him" Noah said impatiently, waving his hand towards Peter's phone "Time is a luxury that we can't afford"

With that, Peter quickly dialled Matt Parkman's number.

"I will find you, Sylar" Noah growled with clenched teeth "Even if it means I meet a certain death"...

... Matt Parkman sat in the apartment he shared with Mohinder Suresh and Molly, staring at the phone oddly. He quickly recovered and began to speak again.

"You've got to be kidding me, Petrelli" he exclaimed angrily "You know how protective I am of her. She is just a child who deserves to have a normal childhood"

"Please, Matt" Peter pleaded on the other end "It is a matter of life and death. Many people will die needlessly if she doesn't help us"

"This better be the last and final time you ask" Matt snarled, dread coming over him "I want to keep her safe this time."

"It will take only a few seconds, Matt" Peter said gratefully "Noah will send you a picture message with the painting in it"

With that, he hung up. Matt sighed angrily, pinching the bridge of his nose. When he was sure that he regained his composure, he stood up.

"Molly" he called, as his phone vibrated...

... The next night, amid her bad feelings, Amber managed to get dress and beautify herself without any problems. She glanced at her beautifully made up face in the mirror and sighed.

"Are you all ready to go?" Sylar asked, emerging in the doorway wearing his tuxedo. He had a hand behind his back and had a devilish grin on his face.

"Yes" Amber replied, playing with the topaz journey necklace she had taken with her from her house. It was a Christmas gift from her mother and it played a perfect contrast to her skin.

"Before I forget" Sylar murmured, pulling his hand away from behind his back to reveal a long velvet box. "I bought this for you. I think it will be a nice addition to your jewellery."

With that, he handed the box to her. She gasped, noticing it was from "Tiffany & Co." She eagerly opened the box to reveal a golden bracelet, studded with the most beautiful diamonds.

"Oh my god, Gabri" she murmured, admiring the bracelet "It's stunning. Thank you."

Sylar smirked, taking the bracelet out of the box and fastening it on her wrist. She squealed in delight and gave him a huge hug and kiss.

"You'll be the most gorgeous girl at this party" he murmured in her ear as they embraced "And the best part is that you're going to be there with me"

"It's time to go" she said, pulling back to flash him a dazzling smile. He encircled his arms around her and they disappeared from his apartment.

Minutes later, they found themselves in the empty elevator going up to L'Aronde. Amber played with her necklace again, seemingly a little nervous, while Sylar smoothed his slicked back hair with his hands. They remained there in silence, mulling over the events to come as the elevator ascended.

Just when the awkward silence was beginning to get to them, the doors opened and they stepped out into the elegant Edmonton restaurant.

As they both walked around to find the hostess, they found her near the windows, sporting a sparkling ice blue dress and a shimmering tiara on the crown of her head.

"Every inch the princess" Amber murmured, pulling Sylar over to greet her friend "Let's go introduce ourselves, shall we?"

Amber eagerly dragged him over to her friend, the semi pretty Asian girl sitting in a fake throne.

"Hey sis" Amber yelled over the pulsing music "Happy Birthday!"

Victoria's eyes widened as she jumped from her seat to give her best friend a hug.

"Oh, I'm so glad you're here!" she replied, scanning the room to see if her date was around. "Who's the hunk on your arm?"

"Oh, this is Gabriel" Amber gushed, enjoying the envious look on her friend's face "We've been going out for a few weeks"

"Nice to meet you, Victoria" Sylar said, offering her his hand "Amber has told me a lot about you"

Victoria beamed at the both of them until a familiar figure caught the corner of her eye. The brilliant smile was wiped off her face.

"Amber" Victoria whispered in Taglog "There's something I need to tell you. There's a detective from the RCMP looking for you. He weaseled his way into my party"

"WHAT?" Amber said in disbelief...


	17. Reckoning DayI Like the Way You Move

_DISCLAIMER:__ I own nothing!_

... Victoria stood there stupidly, not sure what to do or say to her increasingly angry friend. She felt very ashamed for getting involved with the Detective in the first place.

Amber's eyes widened and her nostrils flared in anger. Sylar immediately grabbed her arm, knowing that she was capable of burning everyone in the restaurant to a crisp at that moment.

"How could you?" Amber whispered furiously in English "Years of my faithful friendship amount to nothing to you? He must have gone straight for the jugular and threatened your criminal sister"

Victoria stood there silently, tears stinging her eyes. She didn't need to reply...her silence confirmed it all.

"Amber" Sylar said sternly in her ear "Calm down...you don't want to fry everyone in this room. It won't help our situation at all"

Growling, Amber broke away from his grasp and faced the approaching Detective with fury in her eyes. When their eyes met, the Detective stopped short, noticing the expression of anger on her face. Realizing that he was going to be the intended target of her wrath, he began to turn and run for backup.

"Sylar" she whispered "Hold him in place...I want to talk to him"

Sylar used his telekinesis to hold the Detective in place, his face also a mask of anger. He then willed the Detective to come to them.

"You're not going to get away with this, you bastard" Amber spat, her eyes blazing in fury. "Why do I deserve to be pursued and dogged when the real criminal is dead?"

"Please" the Detective scoffed, rolling his eyes "You don't fool me with those theatrics...you killed Jason Buchanan in cold blood, you slut"

"Shut up" Sylar hissed, using his power to choke the smug Detective "Don't you dare address her that way"

"Well, well" the Detective choked out "If it isn't the other murderer...Gabriel Gray...aka Sylar..."

Sylar tightened his telekinetic grip on the Detective's throat. A low growl escaped his throat.

"If you bothered to look at the security cameras at the door" Amber continued, her hands and eyes glowing an eerie orange "You would have noticed that Jason shot Gabri and was ready to shoot me. It was fucking self-defense...only God knows what Jason put me through...but you know nothing about what it's like to be abused."

Gasping and choking for air, the Detective discreetly reached for his taser and activated it. Noticing the familiar orange glow, Sylar let down his guard and loosened his grip on the Detective's throat. As soon as his grip lessened, he was hit full force with the electric charge of the Detective's hidden weapon. Shouting in pain, Sylar fell to the ground.

Rubbing his bruised throat, the Detective then retracted and aimed the weapon at Amber, who showed even more fury at his brazen attempt to neutralize her companion.

Even before he could react, he saw a small fireball emerge between her hands, growing bigger with every second. Realizing that he was about to be fried like his client's son, he backed away and began to run.

"I don't think so" Amber hissed, letting the solar flare fly towards him. His running speed was no match for the speed of her full attack. He was soon enveloped in the solar flare. Meanwhile, the music had stopped and the rest of the party guests stared on in fear and wonder.

Sylar recovered as he heard the Detective's piercing scream ring through the air as he was burned to a crisp. He quickly stood up, noticing the evil look on his girlfriend's face. As he gazed at her expression, a long dormant feeling stirred within him, coiling back into his subconscious.

When the orange glow died out, the guests stood there in silence, not knowing whether to escape or remain.

"As for the rest of you" Amber hissed, her hands relaxing "If any of you run or decide to run downstairs, you will all be victims of the same fate as this Detective...DO YOU UNDERSTAND?"

The guests began to go about their business as the DJ began playing "I Like the Way You Move" by Bodyrockers. Sylar began feeling like his old, evil self again and Amber's disposal of the Detective greatly aroused him.

Sylar grabbed Amber's arm and pulled her close to him savagely. Surprised by his strength, Amber looked at him with questioning eyes.

"That was a wonderful display of power, baby" Sylar whispered, turning her around so he could whisper in her ear.

"I'm glad you enjoyed" Amber said in a different tone he hadn't heard much before as she slithered seductively against him. "He deserved to die...just like Jason"

"Mmm" Sylar replied, grinding his hardness flush into her buttocks to the beat "Music to my ears. You're a regular anti-hero like me...I fucking love that about you"

He then reached around so his huge hands could cup her firm breasts. He squeezed and kneaded them and licked and nipped the nape of her bare neck.

Amber closed her eyes, enjoying the sensations. She knew that killing the Detective had changed her...instead of feeling guilty or feeling like her usual quiet self, she began feeling deliciously evil and alive...as if killing turned on some kind of switch within her.

"Let's get out of here, Gabri" she murmured suggestively, reaching around to rub his erection with her hands "Show me how much my killing aroused you"

With a predatory grin, Sylar focused on his teleportation power and they both disappeared from the party.

As if on cue, the guests began screaming and ran to the elevators to escape the scene. Victoria remained in her "throne" and cried bitter tears at her friend's transformation...


End file.
